AY ARNAAN
Itod-10330-10044! | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
ae ye SECRET

OCC-95-149
07 DEC 1995

MEMORANDUM FOR: JFK Assassination Records Review Board
VIA: Associate Deputy Director for Operations

Associate Deputy Director for Operations/Human
Resources and Programs

FROM: {Eric L. Qualkenbush)y
Chief, Office of Central Cover

SUBJECT: Proposed CIA Name Release

‘
‘\

1. The Agency strongly objects to the release of names of
individuals presently under cover, whether active employees or
separated employees. As described below, this action would.
breach Agency commitments to these individuals who agreed to work
under cover in addition to breaching our obligations to the cover
providers.

2. Employees sign a secrecy agreement (Attachment A) upon
entering on duty with the Agency. This agreement pledges the
employee’s secrecy to information which is classified and has not
been publicly acknowledged by the Agency and requires the
employee to protect such information from unauthorized .
disclosure. This secrecy agreement, as long as it. remains. in-
force by mutual agreement, obliges CIA to protect the identities
of Agency employees, our cover providers and covert activities.

3. Because this
as legal bond between
policy to protect the n
separated under cover - >
agree to remove the cover. Identifying as CIA ores meeae
who are mandated by ‘the , Agency tot to use a cover story;
‘Department of State)or jt jthe “ABC” 3c” Corporation,/’ fo
Agency career as well’ as: into’ ‘their years after sepa
- the Agency, jeopardizes: ” 2

secrecy agreement creates. a moral..as ‘well.

e the personal safety of former employees;

WARNING NOTICE oo CL (6489932-'- :
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES - CL REASON: 1.5 (c)
OR METHODS INVOLVED DECL ON: X1

DRV FROM:. COV 2-87

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SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board

.the second careers of former employees;

the cover and identity of other employees who worked
with the covert employee whose name is released as
CIA; and,

the protection of sources and methods (what
individual would agree to a clandestine relationship
with American intelligence knowing the secret
association would become public knowledge?).

4, Examples of. how identifying covert employees as CIA will
affect individuals follows:

_

PFE

-

Mr. (Walter McCabe: retired under’ Department of State.
cover and is currently working{ in Russia and several

ee ne ee

. converts “wartime” factories into peacetime use.

“Revealing his name would damage his relationship
with his current employer, his position with the
firm and would be awkward at best regarding the host
countries. Attachment B is Mr. McCabe's
acknowledgement that he was aware he would be denied
as a CIA employee and Attachment C is his signed
secrecy agreement.

Attachment D is a signed ackowledgement from Mr.
John Whitten who retired under cover in 1970 which
shows that he was aware that he would be denied as
an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency from
the date he entered on duty through the date of his
departure. Attachment E is a personal letter
received from Mr. Whitten after he was notified that
his name might be released in connection with
declassification of CIA documents. Attachment F is
Mr. Whitten’s signed secrecy agreement. It should

be noted that Mr. Whitten resides; in AUSEE 2a.

Attachment G is_ a Summary of Agency Employment (SAE)
written by Mr. ‘Morton M. Palmer; and approved by the

Agency. Attachment H is a certification by Mr.
Palmer /that he will abide by what is contained in

“his SAE and understands disclosure of other

information would be in violation of his secrecy

2

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‘ SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board

agreement. Attachment I is Mr. (Palmer’s~signed
secrecy agreement. It _st should be noted that Mr.
Palmer resides in in Mexico:

5S. Our relationship with cover providers would be
jeopardized if it became publicly known that they were providing
cover to CIA employees.’ ' The Department of Statescould very well
raise objections to our future use of ‘State jcover.. Of increasing
importance to the Agency at this time is the critical use of —
[Private sector (nonofficial) cover providers. The private sector /
would no doubt drop contact and avoid future dealings with us if

we reveal a covert relationship. Identifying covert
relationships with cover providers would paralyze Agency
operations which in turn could severely damage national security.
In addition, in the past it has exposed CIA to legal liabilities
and substantial monetary damages.

6. Headquarters Regulation (HR) 240-1 is the Agency’s
regulation on cover. It states that “cover is required for all
Agency operations, activities and installations abroad, including
personnel in PCS or TDY status.” HR 240-2, the Agency’s
regulation on cover after separation, states that “the - 3
determination that an employee will retain all or a part of his
or her cover after separation from the Agency will be based upon
the judgment that separation in an overt status could result in.
damage to the national security by compromising intelligence *
sources, methods, activities, and/or information, or cause harm
to foreign relations. This determination will be made on a case-
by-case basis.” {Please note that all | Agency employees _ who retire ~?

at

(abroad must retire under cover.
i! if

names of former Agency. émployees adds no value to. the
in addition to risking physical harm to these individua f ;
our public detractors. We propose and emphatically encourage *
that pseudonyms, aliases or generic job descriptions such as desk
officer be used in place of true names which would not diminish
the impact of the documents. - . .

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*

‘ SUBJECT: . Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board

| A
8. After your review and consideration of the above’
information, we would appreciate notification of your final

decision prior to taking any action. ;
ty 7)
} |
he

‘Eric L. Qualkenbush /

Attachments:
As stated above

CONCUR:

8 Dee 57

Date
Operations/Human Resoyrces
and Programs
; if G 4 GC ks aa
' Associate Deputy Director for . Date

Operations

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*- SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board

DC/OCC/OSG/EMathias: lae/37076 (6 Dec 95)

Distribution:
Orig & 1 ~- JFK Assassination Records Review Board

1 = IMS/HRS
1 - ADDO
1 - ADDO/HRP
2 - DDO Secretariat
1 - DO/IRO =
1 - OGC/LD ~ Ginda Cipriani
1 - OCC Chron 7 7
1 - ocC/OSG Chron
1 - OCC/OSG File 785-120-034 ‘

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